CHELSEA, Alabama - A verbal threat from a Chelsea Middle School student
toward another on Thursday afternoon resulted in authorities locking down the
building this morning during an investigation that cleared the matter, according
to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement issued this morning, the agency said
deputies responded to the school to investigate the verbal threat made by a
student toward another peer after they had left campus on Thursday.

The school went under a lockdown procedure while deputies
searched the building and interviewed the two students, according to the
statement. The investigation did not yield any weapons and officials lifted the
lockdown.

Shelby County School District public relations supervisor
Cindy Warner in an interview this morning said "everything is fine" at the
facility following the investigation and lockdown.

"We appreciate the assistance of the sheriff's office in
helping us conduct an investigation and feel the school is safe now that the
investigation is complete," Warner said.

The lockdown procedure seals off the school from any
ingress and egress.

"Anytime we go into lockdown, the parents really can't do
anything. The kids are all safe inside the school. Nobody can leave, nobody can
come in. That's typical procedure," Warner said.

The school's lockdown started at 8:25 a.m. and ended at
9:30 a.m., she said.

A sheriff's deputy will remain at the school today to
conduct further investigation of the threat and ensure no additional incidents,
according to the agency's statement.

Chelsea Middle School's official enrollment number is 968,
according to the district.